In earth boring operations, rods and casings are used to create and maintain the bore hole. Rods and casings are each cylindrical bodies that can be made of steel or other relatively sturdy metal material. Rods and casings come in certain lengths, for example 6-10 feet. Lengths of rods and casings can be heavy and may be heavy enough or large enough that more than one individual is required to lift a single length of rod or casing. Lifting rods and casings by hand may be dangerous and inefficient.
Rods and casings are often delivered to a job site on pallets in piles. Equipment that is to handle rods and casings should be able to pick the rods and casings directly from the piles. Finally, there are significant efficiencies that result when rods and casings are handled simultaneously with the rod being positioned inside the casing.